The Atlanta Braves have a very storied history against the Dodgers, particularly over the last decade or so. The two teams have battled for supremacy in the National League for years now, and that trend continues with their NLDS matchup. These two teams are very familiar with each other, although many faces on both sides have changed since what was arguably their most famous recent series against one another.
Part of the narrative around this Braves-Dodgers rivalry goes back to the 2021 National League Championship Series, which was one of the wilder playoff series you are likely to see. The Braves came out on top and went on to win the World Series, but beating LA required multiple walk-off wins, Eddie Rosario to be Babe Ruth, and the Braves’ bullpen putting together a legendary performance in Game 6.
It is fun to talk about that history as if it is still very relevant to these two teams. However, as it turns out, there are few players on either team who were actually around and playing when that iconic NLCS took place.
Here are all of the Braves and Dodgers players who are still around who were also on the 2021 NLCS rosters
The focus here is on the playoff rosters from 2021 and 2026. Max Muncy was around in 2021 but famously got left off the Dodgers' NLCS roster, while Blake Treinen was on LA's 2021 NLCS roster but is dealing with a shoulder issue and not playing this year (probably). Ronald Acuña Jr. obviously played for the Braves in both seasons, but he blew his knee out in 2021 after a stellar first half and didn't play the rest of the season. This is about the actual playoff matchups, not the players who appeared for the teams in both seasons at some point.
Braves
- Ozzie Albies, 2B
- Austin Riley, 3B
No, you are reading that correctly. The Braves have just two players on their NLDS roster who also played in the 2021 NLCS (except for Freddie Freeman, but we will get to him in a minute). Ozzie Albies has been a mainstay at second base for years, and Austin Riley arrived to man third base a couple of years later. While Albies has had a strong showing in both playoff runs, Riley has become a shadow of his former self except for one glorious swing against the Phillies in the Wild Card round.
Dodgers
- Will Smith, C
- Mookie Betts, OF/SS
- Evan Phillips, RHP
- Alex Vesia, LHP
There are a few more holdovers on the Dodgers' roster from 2021, including a couple of key players. Mookie Betts is the most famous of the bunch, although his bat has really fallen off the last couple of years. Funnily enough, he has played two very different positions in both series, as Betts has since switched back to shortstop after spending most of his career as an outfielder. Catcher Will Smith was only beginning his ascension towards being one of the better catchers in baseball in 2021, while he was limited to just 73 games this season due to a neck injury.
After that, we have a pair of relievers in Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips, with the latter being a former member of the Braves' organization years ago. Despite having a couple more players around than Atlanta, it is still wild to see how much turnover has impacted LA's roster.
Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman is in his own category here, because he is the only player who has played in both series, but for different teams. Freeman would hit a pair of home runs against the Dodgers and played a key role in the Braves' World Series run. Time (and injuries) seem to be catching up with Freeman these days, although that didn't stop him from homering off of Grant Holmes in Game 2.
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